If there were as many abandoned cars on the street as bicycles, half the parking in the city would be occupied by them.

Complaints about derelict bikes tethered to locking rings continue to roll in, most recently about a bizarre collection on the west side of Sherbourne St., north of Gerrard St.

Christopher Haslett reported Monday on SeeClickFix that someone had taken over a locking ring in front of Allan Gardens and “locked many, many bikes to it.

“It hit me that these might be stolen. Why else would they be stored there in such great numbers? Some of them have for-sale signs on them.

“I’d advise anyone who has lost a bike to take a walk past these posts; they might find their stolen property.”

Haslett posted a photo with his report that showed a shopping cart filled with bicycle parts fastened to the ring, surrounded by a half-dozen bikes that were locked to the cart or each other.

The shopping cart and bikes were gone when we got there Tuesday, probably removed by whoever put them there; the city tags abandoned bikes with notices that say they’ll be removed in seven days.

The city removed 322 bikes locked to posts during a roundup last spring, mostly from inner-city streets where cycling traffic is heavy and the need for them is constant.

It put a dent in the total, but we still come across rusting bikes with flat tires that are locked to rings all the time, and hear about them from readers, which leads us to think it’s time for another roundup.

They occupy rings that could be used by someone who intends to reclaim their bike — probably within an hour or so — and amount to trash that would otherwise be removed within days, if it wasn’t locked up.

STATUS: We asked transportation services if a autumn roundup of abandoned bikes is possible. Media spokesperson Steve Johnston said it is considering a fall blitz and that any abandoned bikes reported to 311 will eventually be removed.

What's broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/thefixer or call us at 416-869-4823. To read our blog, go to thestar.blogs.com/thefixer . Follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.

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